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REPORT EXPOSES CHICANERY BEHIND CASINO PLAN Lawmakers and Special Interests Dodge Public Scrutiny and Treat Voters as Easy Marks |
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NEW YORK, October 21, 2013 - A new report, "Stacked Deck: Inside the Politics of New York's Dishonest Casino Plan," documents the political deals that led to New York's proposed constitutional amendment. Written by Paul Davies, former journalist at the Wall Street Journal and Philadelphia Inquirer and currently the Maggie Walker Fellow at the Institute for American Values, "Stacked Deck" shows how some New York politicians are misleading voters in order to favor casino developers. The report notes that while running for governor, Andrew Cuomo never mentioned casinos as part of his plan for economic revitalization. Almost immediately after being elected, however, Gov. Cuomo became a champion of building new casinos in the state. According to the report, his enthusiasm for casinos appears at odds with his campaign pledge to root out corruption and maintain transparency with New York citizens. "Stacked Deck" traces how deep-pocketed gambling interests persuaded the governor and other elected officials to take up the cause of building new casinos in the potentially lucrative New York market. The report also points out that the politicians successfully steered public attention away from the true costs and benefits of casinos. There have been:
According to Common Cause, the nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization, since 2005 gambling interests have spent more than $50 million on lobbying and political contributions in New York. Gov. Cuomo alone has received $1 million in campaign contributions from gambling interests. The direct campaign contributions to Governor Cuomo, the report shows, are the tip of the iceberg. Before Gov. Cuomo proposed to legalize casinos, the governor met with Genting Group, a Malaysian-based casino operator, who along with other gambling interests donated more than $2 million to The Committee to Save New York, a nonprofit that was created to promote Gov. Cuomo's legislative agenda. Gov. Cuomo later announced a deal with Genting to build a convention center in Queens next to the Genting run Resorts World Casino, a video lottery terminal. The deal later fell apart after Genting could not be guaranteed exclusive gambling rights in New York City. The initial measure to change the constitution contained just seven words and was voted on late at night in March 2012 with little debate. There was no explanation of how lawmakers decided to legalize seven casinos. Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, a Democrat from Westchester, quipped that the number was picked because seven is "a lucky number." According to the New York Times, during the final weeks of this year's legislative session there were more gambling industry lobbyists than lawmakers in Albany. In the final days leading up to the casino-referendum vote by lawmakers, a provision in the bill that would have prohibited gambling interests from donating to elected officials was quietly removed. Gov. Cuomo's administration helped to rewrite the wording of the voter referendum, to tilt the vote in favor of casinos. The new wording emphasizes the supposed benefits from new casinos, such as jobs, lower taxes, and funding for education. The ballot language does not mention any of the economic and social costs associated with casino gambling. The Institute for American Values is a nonprofit think tank whose mission is to study and strengthen civil society. This report is the third in a series called "Casino Land: America in an Age of Inequality." ### For more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Paul Davies, contact Jody Wood at (212) 246-3942 or jody@americanvalues.org. Read Stacked Deck: Inside the Politics of New York's Dishonest Casino Plan. |
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